Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arendal and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Arendal: $2,679 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dubai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

131

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
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Arendal Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,679

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arendal and in Dubai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Arendal and in Dubai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,679 in Arendal versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Arendal $2,679
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,805 in Arendal versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Arendal $3,805
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,931 in Arendal versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Arendal $4,931
Dubai $5,872

Living in Arendal costs roughly 7% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arendal 98% above, Dubai 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.51 NOK 184

$12.67 AED 46.55

53.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 NOK 619

$81.7 AED 300

-19.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.52 NOK 146

$9.34 AED 34.30

66.17%

Cappuccino

$5.33 NOK 50.2

$5.89 AED 21.62

-9.51%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 NOK 32.84

$1.69 AED 6.20

106.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 NOK 30.62

$0.78 AED 2.86

316.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.55 NOK 109

$13.66 AED 50.2

-15.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.08 NOK 114

$13.49 AED 49.54

-10.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 NOK 21.78

$1.84 AED 6.78

25.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 NOK 32.63

$1.50 AED 5.50

131.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 NOK 35.56

$2.57 AED 9.45

47.08%

Eggs

$4.93 NOK 46.38

$3.32 AED 12.18

48.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.81 NOK 139

$12.60 AED 46.28

17.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.35 NOK 135

$9.66 AED 35.46

48.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$33.30 NOK 314

$12.78 AED 46.93

160.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.83

$2.60 AED 9.54

34.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.75

$1.90 AED 6.99

38.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 NOK 32.74

$1.91 AED 7.02

82.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 NOK 44.63

$1.37 AED 5.02

245.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.97

$1.13 AED 4.14

125.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.10 NOK 29.18

$1.01 AED 3.71

206.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 NOK 26.55

$1.44 AED 5.30

95.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 NOK 21.13

$0.67 AED 2.48

234.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.67 NOK 166

$5.88 AED 21.59

200.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.46 NOK 136

$16.15 AED 59.3

-10.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 NOK 35.19

$2.72 AED 10.00

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 NOK 41.27

$3.08 AED 11.32

42.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.69 NOK 34.72

$1.60 AED 5.87

130.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 NOK 849

$76.0 AED 279

18.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.11 NOK 57.5

$3.24 AED 11.91

88.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NOK 16.03

$0.71 AED 2.61

139.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$105 NOK 986

$7.96 AED 29.22

1215.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 NOK 21.31

$0.98 AED 3.62

130.61%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$48.3K NOK 454.3K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

76.24%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$41.0K NOK 385.9K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

86.07%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$252 NOK 2,372

$249 AED 913

1.40%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$34.68 NOK 326

$54.4 AED 200

-36.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.7 NOK 751

$91.5 AED 336

-12.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.61 NOK 345

$103 AED 380

-64.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 NOK 145

$16.29 AED 59.8

-5.59%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$314 NOK 2,952

$844 AED 3,098

-62.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K NOK 129.9K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-24.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 NOK 1,176

$67.0 AED 246

86.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.59 NOK 410

$57.9 AED 213

-24.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 NOK 1,165

$102 AED 375

21.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$204 NOK 1,922

$98.7 AED 363

106.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 NOK 10.4K

$2,393 AED 8,788

-53.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 NOK 9,783

$1,533 AED 5,630

-32.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 NOK 14.6K

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-66.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 NOK 13.7K

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-50.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,112 NOK 38.7K

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-41.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,134 NOK 29.5K

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-25.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,151 NOK 39.1K

$3,461 AED 12.7K

19.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

4.54

3.08%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Arendal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Arendal

$1K 38.8%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 47.5% $494

Groceries & Markets

Arendal

$488 18.2%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 40.2% $196

Eating Out

Arendal

$375 14%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 18.7% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arendal

$366 13.7%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 7.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Arendal

$223 8.3%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 34.4% $77

Getting Around

Arendal

$120 4.5%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 25.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Arendal

$67 2.5%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 102% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,109 in Arendal and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arendal pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Arendal vs $82.0 in Dubai. Groceries flip the comparison at $488 vs $292, with Dubai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Arendal

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

18:42 6:42 PM

2 h ahead of Arendal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,406

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arendal Dubai 5,180 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Arendal
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arendal vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arendal and Dubai differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,679 vs $2,896 including rent). Arendal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Arendal, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,109 in Arendal versus $2,393 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $314 in Arendal versus $844 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Dubai pay roughly 67% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,679 in Arendal versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Arendal but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Arendal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Arendal and Dubai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Arendal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.